Synopsis

An ordinary suburban living room, where the mundane masks the macabre

Ralf and Sarah invite their friends Edith and Bastian over for what appears to be a casual evening of drinks and small talk. But beneath the surface of this seemingly typical social gathering lies a dark, twisted secret: the body of Mr Kolpert, an ex-colleague of Ralf’s, may or may not be hidden in the trunk of their coffee table. As the night progresses, the line between reality and absurdity blurs, and the casual banter spirals into a chaotic exploration of violence, boredom, and the banality of evil. The characters, each more unhinged than the last, grapple with their own disturbing desires, testing the limits of their morality in a game that becomes increasingly deadly.

Mr Kolpert by David Gieselmann is a darkly comedic farce that delves into the absurdity of modern life and the terrifying consequences of boredom and disillusionment. The play’s tone is sharp, unsettling, and darkly humorous, drawing the audience into a world where the ordinary is subverted by the grotesque. Gieselmann’s writing is fast-paced, with dialogue that crackles with tension and absurdity, as the characters’ psychological unraveling is laid bare in a series of increasingly bizarre and violent confrontations. The play’s form is linear yet unpredictable, each scene pushing the boundaries of normalcy until they collapse into chaos.